Recipe Review - Barbecue Round Steak

Deep South Dish

This recipe is from Mary at Deep South Dish and calls for Bottom Round Steak, a cheaper cut of meat which becomes fork-tender once braised and cooked. There are two methods for cooking this steak: 1) in the oven, or 2) in the crock-pot. I chose the crock-pot method in order to cook it "low and slow."

 
Here is what you'll need:
Bottom Round Steak, Flour, Seasoning Salt, Oil, Onion, Green Bell Pepper, Celery, Ketchup, Water, Lime Juice, Brown Sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, Garlic Powder, Mustard, and Hot Sauce.
This picture shows the steak already cut into serving pieces.

Combine flour, seasoning salt, and [fresh ground black pepper (optional)]. 

Dredge each piece of steak in the flour mixture.

Braise the meat using a meat mallet (not shown). Once braised, brown steaks in oil on each side, then remove from pan and set aside; do this in batches. I used Sunflower Oil.

Once all steaks are browned and removed from pan, add the chopped celery, onion, and bell pepper to the pan and cook for 5 minutes in the oil which was leftover from browning the steaks .

Combine the browned steak, cooked veggies, and all other ingredients to your baking dish or crock-pot.

The finished product...

The only changes I made were to omit the celery and add black pepper to the flour dredge mixture. The homemade barbecue sauce is great! Next time I may prepare it with a brown gravy with sauteed mushrooms and onions. Delicious!


Mary's Recipe: Barbecue Round Steak

Recipe Review - Almond Milk Ice Cream (Frozen Custard)

The Saucy Kitchen

This recipe is from Jess at The Saucy Kitchen. She adapted Alton Brown's Vanilla Ice Cream recipe. My version is a slight variation of Jess' and this is really Frozen Custard because of the egg content.

These are the ingredients Jess used:   

Eggs, Sugar, Almond Milk, Heavy Cream,  & Vanilla Extract. 

Instead of sugar, I opted to use Domino Light, a blend of pure cane sugar with stevia extract. If using this, cut the amount of sugar called for in the recipe by one-half. *See my note regarding quantities and substitutions at end of post.

Combine almond milk and cream in a saucepan and heat to a simmer, then remove from heat.

 

 

Meanwhile, add egg yolks to a bowl.

Whisk until light in color. I used my mixer with the whisk attachment.Gradually add in sugar (or Domino Light) while whisking. 

Whisk until mixture folds back on itself once whisk is lifted.

Once the eggs and sugar are combined, add in the warm cream/milk mixture very slowly while stirring, tempering the eggs...otherwise you will cook the eggs! Unless of course, you like scrambled eggs in your custard. (This step not pictured)



Return the entire mixture back to the saucepan (may need to use larger pan) and reheat on medium-low until a thermometer registers 170-175 degrees F. This is to ensure that the eggs are cooked and salmonella is destroyed.
Do NOT Boil.

Once mixture reaches 170-175 degrees F, remove from heat and place the pan with the mixture in heatproof bowl (like Pyrex) filled with ice.

Cover the pan and bowl with a sheet of aluminum foil. Place all in refrigerator until chilled...usually an hour or more. Stir mixture thoroughly, then pour mixture into ice cream freezer and proceed based on the manufacturer's instructions.

Once mixture is frozen, remove the custard from ice cream freezer and place custard in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer.

Optional add-ins/toppings: brownie pieces, cookies, candies, nuts, fruit, and/or sauces.

I opted for a strawberry milkshake! 

 
My variations on The Saucy Kitchen's recipe:

• I used a ratio of 3:1 for the heavy cream to almond milk (3 cups of heavy cream and 1 cup of almond milk).
• I used 1/2 cup of Domino Light in place of the 9 ounces of sugar.

*Note: The next time I make this custard, I will increase Domino Light to 3/4 cup total and decrease the number of egg yolks to 6 total.

Producing custard requires more time and effort than ice cream, but custard has a creamier/richer texture that I enjoy.


Recipe: Almond Milk Ice Cream (Saucy Kitchen)

Recipe Review - Spaghetti Sauce

The Pioneer Woman

It's rare that I make my own spaghetti sauce...
I mean why do all the work when the stuff in the jar tastes just as good? 
Actually, it's been so long since I tried homemade, I forgot how good it really is!

This recipe is from Ree at The Pioneer Woman, and it is tasty indeed. 

I adjusted the recipe in the following way: 1) adjusted quantity of the spices to my liking, 2) omission of cheese placed IN the sauce, and 3) halved her recipe.

It doesn't take long to put together, and the only labor involved comes from browning the meat, and chopping the onion and bell pepper. 
After simmering for an hour, it will be ready for the noodles, and your tummy will thank you!

Here's What You'll Need:

Ground beef, Olive Oil, Yellow Onion, Green Bell Pepper, Garlic, White Wine (or beef broth), Crushed Tomatoes (can), Tomato Paste, Marinara Sauce (jar), Ground Oregano, Ground Thyme, Bay Leaves, Sugar, Kosher Salt, Crushed Red Pepper, Parsley (fresh or dried), Parmesan Cheese, & Spaghetti Noodles. 

Brown meat, then drain.

 

Chop veggies.   

Add veggies to pot and cook to soften.

Stir in wine (or beef broth).

Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, and marinara sauce.

Add in all seasonings along with drained cooked meat.

Stir well and simmer for an hour.

  
Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with Parmesan cheese and Parsley...or if you're like me...

just pile the sauce on top of garlic toast...either way it is delicious!

 You can find Ree's recipe here -->  Spaghetti Sauce

 *Note: I halved her recipe.

Orange Marmalade Freezer Preserves

This brings back memories of my childhood...and while I never was a huge fan of store-bought marmalade, I decided to make this for two reasons:

  1) I had leftover Texas oranges, and

  2) My sister, who absolutely adores this stuff, would be      

       proud. 

So, here's to you, M, and to those of you with similar tastes.

Start with freshly washed oranges. I used Texas oranges, but ripe Navel oranges make peeling much easier.

You will also need these items (plus sugar and water, not pictured).

Cut oranges in half and seed, using knife tip.

Peel fruit, reserving 1/4 cup of peel.

Remove as much of the white pith from the fruit and the reserved peel. Set peel aside.

 ☟
Does this  look like 30 minutes of work? All I could think about while I was "pithing" the peel was what was being accomplished by everyone else in the world during this same thirty minutes! Nevertheless, it was relaxing. Besides, I'm a rookie at this pithing thing!

Cut peel into very thin strips, and set aside.

Pulse the fruit of the orange along with the juice, but not the peel, in food processor until smooth consistency.

I left mine chunkier than you may like.

Place fruit, sugar, water, and reserved peel in large saucepan.

Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally for 25 to 30 minutes, or until somewhat thickened.

 Remove from heat.

 

Stir in pectin and lemon juice. Stir for 3 minutes.

Ladle mixture into freezer jar and let sit on counter until cool, then store in fridge for up to 3 weeks or freezer for up to 1 year. (Preserves will thicken after several hours)

Orange Marmalade Freezer Preserves

www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com
(yields one 16-ounce freezer jar of preserves)

Ingredients:
8 small oranges (I used Texas Oranges) or 5 medium navel oranges

1/4 cup orange peel (with white pith removed) from oranges

1-cup water

2 cups sugar (or a little less)

1-Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons instant fruit pectin

Directions: 

Wash fruit. Cut oranges in half and remove seeds, using knife tip.

Peel oranges, reserving 1/4 cup of the orange peel. Remove as much of the white pith around the fruit and reserved peel as possible. Cut peel into very thin strips, and set aside.

Place peeled and seeded fruit, but NOT peel, in food processor fitted with the metal blade, and pulse until smooth consistency.

Place fruit puree, sugar, water, and reserved peel in large saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly, then stir occasionally for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, or until somewhat thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and pectin. Stir for 3 minutes.

Ladle mixture into freezer jar (leaving one-inch of space at top of jar) and let sit on counter until cool. Store preserves in refrigerator for up to three weeks, or freezer for up to one year. Preserves will thicken after a few hours.

Spread on bread, toast, or pancakes.